The Sherman House

 

    Ben Maiser built the two-story Sherman House on Elm Street (Waconia, Minnesota) in the spring of 1882. Maiser, who was operating a stable on the site, bought the lot from Carl Schmidt for $350. Maiser then removed the stable and excavated a twenty-four-foot by sixty-foot cellar. Stones were hauled in to construct the foundation. Before the foundation was finished, Maiser’s son-in-law from St. Paul, Adam Habergarten, joined him in partnership. The newspaper account that announced that the pair would be ready to receive guests by the middle of June declared, “Both are energetic go-ahead men.” (Herald, May 4, 1882)

 

    The hotel, which charged reasonable rates, was successful enough so that extensive improvements were soon made. Maiser bought a “new Monarch Brunswick and Blake combination billiard and pool table….the finest in the town.” (Herald, June 29, 1882)

The hotel was thoroughly overhauled and refitted prior to the 1884 tourist season. Habergarten, the sole proprietor by April 1885, hung out “a new and very handsome sign” and made an addition to the hotel in 1885. In order to accommodate approximately ten additional teams, Habergarten enlarged his stable. The hotel was popular as an overnight stopping by place by 1886.

 

     The hotel was popular also as a resting and drinking spot, especially before and after the Sunday services of the nearby Catholic and Lutheran churches. Traveling to church was an adventure for those who lived outside the town. Many of the families journeyed from one to two hours to attend church. They used the outdoor toilet facilities of the Sherman House before the services. After worshipping, the men would repair to the hotel’s saloon, which was closed during the services, to drink and socialize. This practice was so common that a ladies’ waiting room was added in 1886 to shelter the women and children. Elm Street was crowded on Sunday. Not only were the stables filled, but the hitching rails were also lined up on both sides of the street with horse-drawn wagons or buggies in the summer and cutters or sleighs in the winter.

 

     The Sherman House was usually filled during the tourist season. The Valley Herald described the Lake House and the Sherman House as “the two leading hotels of the village” and reported that both were crowded with customers before June 15, 1888. That date marked the official beginning of the 1888 excursion season, because train service from the Twin Cities commenced at that time. The Sherman House had a reputation as “a neat tidy place and all who go there for a meal, go away satisfied.” Because it was a hotel, three meals a day were served.

 

     Two of the more noteworthy guests at the Sherman House were Peter Schutz of Jordan and C.S. Davis of Minneapolis. Schutz was a “big hearted brewer” whose jovial mood brightened the spirits of the boys at the bar. C.S. Davis made the Sherman House his headquarters for several days in 1890. He was a successful veterinarian with a highly specialized practice in horse dentistry. Newspaper articles about the guests had a consistent theme: happiness prevailed at the Sherman House.

 

     The Sherman House had a succession of owners after Maiser and Habergarten.: Joseph and Albert Miller (1901) Mr. and Mrs. Alois Zrust (1902) and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Zeman (1903-1909). During these years the Sherman House had twenty-five beds. The hotel had the capacity to serve more than a hundred dinners for any special event. Business must have been good in 1909, because a new cement walk was set along the south side of the building. The Sherman House also was treated to a new coat of green paint with white trimming. Then in August an accident shattered the mood. The readers of the Patriot were saddened to learn that:

     Mr. Frank Zeman Jr. met with a peculiar accident at the Sherman House Tuesday afternoon. Frank was replacing the regular cigar lighter for an alcohol lamp when his hand came in contact with the flammable liquid. Both of his hands were badly burned before the blaze could be extinguished. A local physician dressed the burns and the unfortunate man is getting along as well as can be expected under the circumstances.

 

     Two months later the Zemans offered the sale of the Sherman House “for either cash or easy terms.”

 

     The Sherman House story was uneventful after World War I with the exception of a law violation in 1937. Agents of the State Liquor Commissioner’s Office raided the Sherman House and confiscated liquor valued at $400. Federal agents also raided the pool room at the Lake House, where no liquor was found, and other establishments in Cologne, Young America and Bongards.

 

     The Sherman House was purchased in 1922 by Otto H. “Buck” Krueger, who owned it off and on until his death in 1955. His widow Caroline then became the owner, and their daughter and son-in-law, June and Ray Doyle, managed it as “Ray’s Place.” In 1969 Pearl Bonsteel took over management, and it became known as “Pearl’s Place.” The building was razed in 1977.